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Charlie Northrup's One-Man Patent Grab Continues

Posted by timothy on from the and-now-with-only-one-eye-open dept.

FirstEdition writes "Will this never end! Linux Business & Technology writes that Charlie Northrup, the guy in New Jersey whose prior art on what looks to be Web services dates back to 1994 and appears to trump anybody else's IP, has gotten another patent. Of course, he has transferred the IP to a spin off company populated mostly by lawyers. More details here."

7 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. That's okay... by TWX · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I'm sure that he'll manage to get royalties from the two or three million geeks running Apache at home.

    Maybe we'll get lucky, and he'll pull a SCO, and try to sue IBM. I'm rather certain that IBM will find something that they have prior art on, or something that his patent depends on, that IBM can pull out and have fun with...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  2. Well, he does have a point. (Hear me out) by beee · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've heard a lot of "off with his head!" comments around these parts in regards to Mr. Northrup, but can we look at his point of view with a shred of objectivity for a moment? Let me introduce a hypothetical situation. You, a programmer, create some wonderful technology. It's so wonderful, in fact, that it spreads all over the world and is used by nearly everyone on a daily basis. Would you not want some measure of control on this technology that you labored over for so many hours? Would you not like some shred of claim to its origin? Though it's easy to tie this man to a cross for his pursuits in I.P., I think the honest answer most of us would give is "Yes, I would." Perspective is a difficult thing to deal with; however, I think Mr. Northrup is on the "good side" in this fight.

    --


    + Donald Gunth
    + Email: dgunth@quicktek.net
    "Caffeine is the greatest lubricant ever created." -ESR
  3. WTF? by kg4czo · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Ya know, this stuff discribed really reminds me of the old BBS days. Almost every service in this "patent" could have been applied to almost any BBS package as far back as '86, maybe even farther. Isn't that prior art? Somone need to trump this guy before he makes it impossible for anyone to run services.

  4. Can you say CORBA? by rossjudson · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If you read the patent, it reads like a description of CORBA. The OMG started working on CORBA in 1989. That's all the prior art that should be needed.

  5. Re:That's okay...Circular defense. by TWX · · Score: 5, Insightful

    I look at it this way...

    IBM did significant development of computer theory. They've probably contributed more than any other company combined. Granted, they have screwed up at times, and screwed up royally, but they don't appear to be running around smashing others with only lawyer-based divisions, a'la Rambus. They're also contributing back into something that I use on a daily basis as my primary computer platform, even when they didn't invent UNIX. Right now, IBM is a community player, and while that could change in theory at any moment, they're more my friend than this freak who is trying to demonstrate a patent on hypertext transfer protocol...

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  6. Plain stupid by Peter_Pork · · Score: 5, Informative
    The present invention provides a virtual network, sitting "above" the physical connectivity
    We call this the Internet (late 60s). Or the telegraph (XIXth century).
    and thereby providing the administrative controls necessary to link various communication devices via an Access-Method-Independent Exchange.
    Also known as Patent-Nonsense-Is-Stealing (as old as patent system)
    In accordance with the present invention, connectivity is provided by a series of communication primitives designed to work with each of the specific communication devices in use.
    The Internet Protocol (IP) RFC 791 September 1981.
    Intraprocess, as well as Interprocess, services are available.

    Interprocess: Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) RFC 793 September 1981.
    Intraprocess: main memory ENIAC 1946.

    ..and so on. This is plain nonsense and any competent lawyer will win the case against this atent. Not even OJ Simpson's pals can play this practical joke on a federal court.

  7. Re:WTF?-Guilty? Not I. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    "What I learned while trying to get a patent, and what the slashdot crowd needs to grok, is that Patents Are Business Tools!" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

    Let's see.

    1. "Whacking competitors is a business tool" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

      That was fun.

      "Industrial espionage is a business tool" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

      Better, better.

      "Insurance fraud is a business tool" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

      Nice.

      "Defrauding investors and employees is a business tool" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it.".

      Whoo Hoo.

      "Dumping toxic waste illegally is a business tool" and "Life isn't fair. Deal with it."

      Yum.


    You know? Life is so much easier when one doesn't have a conscious. Thanks dude.